Most of you across the USA are turning thumbs down on President Bush. Your reasoning is right, but your timing is wrong.

This week's USA TODAY/CNN Gallup Poll shows these ratings for the president:

• 58% of you disapprove of the overall job he is doing.

• 59% now say it was a mistake to invade Iraq, and 63% say some or all of our troops there should be withdrawn.

Those of you who are regular readers of this column know that I strongly criticized Bush's "pre-emptive strike" in Iraq before we invaded and have long urged that we "support our troops" there by bringing them home.

But ...

In my book, Iraq aside, Bush has made some of his best decisions in recent weeks. His ratings should be going up rather than down. Here's why:

• His naming of John Roberts as the new Supreme Court chief justice was such a smart move, even some partisan Democrats grudgingly approve.

• His accepting blame for some of the Hurricane Katrina mess and dumping his political crony Michael Brown as the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was belated but brave.

• His approval of the plan by his new head of NASA, Michael Griffin, for an ambitious but affordable return to space, going back to the moon and then on to Mars, is futuristic and commendable.